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Special Section

Women in PoWerimPACTinG DiVerSiTY

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Women in Power use their power wisely. They are responsible for developing supplier diversity in their respective organizations, but that doesn’t fully define the many roles filled by these experienced and talented women. Studies have shown that men and women approach management functions differently with women finding the greatest satisfaction managing jobs that have meaning to their lives and the lives of others. That is clearly seen in the variety of caring and innovative ways that supplier diversity programs are designed and developed by the Women in Power. These women would never be satisfied with a supplier diversity program that merely reports spend. They have developed vibrant, expansive and embracing supplier diversity programs that show an unprecedented level of caring for the success of minority and women business owners.

Each one of the Women in Power has developed a unique approach to supplier diversity, and the companies they work for appreciate and understand the important contributions they make to corporate success. A diverse supply chain has proven over and over again to create a competitive advantage for buying companies. In these tough economic times, developing innovative approaches for bringing goods and services to the marketplace has never been more important. Reading through the short bios, it quickly becomes apparent that this unique group of women has turned caring for their communities, corporate stakeholders and suppliers into effective programs that enhance the quality of the respective supply chains.

The 25 women in this article are Women in Power, but this power is derived from more than corporate position. They are innovators, creators, mentors, coaches and champions of diversity, and that is the source of their real power. They have the power to create opportunities for underrepresented minority and women owners to enter the corporate supply chains using a wide range of approaches. They expand diversity in nontraditional technical and scientific industries like Aerospace and Pharmaceutical. Some of the women develop programs that focus on forming alliances and relationship building. Many of the Women in Power had to start with the basics before growing supplier diversity because corporate the culture needed to be incrementally changed first before diversity would be actively promoted and diverse suppliers would have honest opportunities. In other cases, the supplier diversity manager had to maintain active supplier diversity programs despite major corporate shakeups like mergers and expansion into global markets.

Despite the uniqueness of each approach to supplier diversity, the Women in Power all have some thing in common – caring and determination. What their companies have discovered is that the women are forward thinkers who can already envision a corporate world that provides equal opportunities to all qualified suppliers without regard for race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or business size. Getting to that brave new world is a journey that is made much easier by their efforts.

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Women in PoWer BrinG CArinG AnD DeTerminATion To

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Favorite Quote: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13

Stephanie Burroughs Director, Procurement

Programs,NJSBDC

Stephanie Burroughs is currently contracted as the Director of Procurement Programs for the NJ Small Business Development Centers, Rutgers Business School Graduate Programs, Newark and New Brunswick. In this role, she

manages a team of consultants and staff in order to develop and deliver leadership training and matchmaking events for small business owners and women and minority suppliers. Burroughs is also an entrepreneur as the founder and president of StephanieSpeaking LLC. Her company focuses on providing training and coaching to small businesses and specializes in women’s self-empowerment. She has extensive experience in supplier development, monitoring minority business enterprise contract compliance, human resources, and project management. A major accomplishment was the creation and organization of the Construction Contractors Clearinghouse expos, which bridges the gap in the construction industry between minority and women business enterprises (MWBEs) and the public and private sectors. The expos have had a measurable positive financial impact for MWBEs and the communities benefiting from the construction contracts and business associations.

Burroughs has worked tirelessly to train and coach thousands of small business owners over the last 25 years in areas, including completing loan applications and developing business plans. She graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and has completed a number of specialty training programs. She encourages aspiring suppliers to continually educate themselves and to stay current about the market, industry trends and procurement processes.

Stephanie Burroughs is Entrepreneur and New Jersey SBDC Executive

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